Plano East senior point guard Jayden Parker attempts to dribble the ball around a Coppell defender Monday night at Carrollton Creekview High School. Photo by Andy Redmond / C&S Media
By David Wolman
CARROLLTON — With just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter, the large contingent of Plano East fans at Creekview High School went full throat, serenading the Panthers with chants of “D-up” — encouraging the squad to continue getting defensive stops and try to reduce what had been a 13-point deficit to five.
Playing five seniors, Plano East got a big defensive play from one of its 12th-graders, Keagan Ho, just seconds earlier. Ho recorded a steal near the scorer’s table, banked in a basket and converted the ensuing free throw after being fouled to complete a three-point play.
The Panthers then had a chance to make it a one-possession game after senior Moustafa Abualneel grabbed a defensive rebound on Coppell’s ensuing possession. Plano East put up a shot near the baseline but could not get it to fall.
For as hard as Plano East worked to chip away at Coppell’s lead, the Cowboys’ defense did not allow the Panthers to gain additional momentum. Coppell on a 17-9 run over the final five minutes, including an 11-of-13 performance at the free-throw line, sending the Panthers to a season-ending 69-56 loss in a Class 6A Division I bi-district playoff game Monday night.
“One thing that we’ve struggled with all year is on the offensive side,” head coach Matt Wester said. “Once you are forced to play catch-up, it’s hard for a team that doesn’t score a lot to catch up. We can catch up to teams, but we need time to chip away.”
Abualneel led Plano East with 12 points, followed by Alex Brewington with 11 and Ho with nine.
Plano East struggled to keep up with the Cowboys’ fast pace.
Coppell shot 14-of-18 from the field in the first half with five 3-pointers and repeatedly scored at the rim, including a lob to senior Sibu Socks in the first quarter. Plano East also struggled to defend Coppell senior guard Isaiah Fleming, who had 13 points in the first two quarters, helping the Cowboys build a 39-30 halftime lead.
“They push their pace a lot on offense with their transition,” Wester said. “They’re probably the best that we have seen this year. Only really good teams can go 14-of-18 in the first half. That’s really impressive.”
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